Browsing by Author "Beets, Jacqueline"
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- ItemConstructions of power : feminist sub-texts in the novels of Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English at Massey University(Massey University, 1997) Beets, JacquelineThis exploration of the novels of Charlotte Brontë and Daphne du Maurier reveals a number of similarities in each author's investigations of feminist concerns. Centring upon a discussion of cultural values in the texts of both authors, this thesis suggests that nineteenth and twentieth century female writers use similar literary devices to incorporate feminist sub-texts beneath the surface of outwardly conventional romantic novels. Certain significant themes and images appear in both Brontë's and du Maurier's works: the burned stately home, the Gothic atmosphere, the characterisation of an abused and abusive first-person male narrator, and marginalised female characters who are drawn towards a more empowered yet also culturally marginalised male protector/punisher- figure. In du Maurier's work in particular, these themes and images are recreated throughout successive novels in an apparently compulsive manner, suggesting a vital psychological working-through of material to which the author holds an attitude of ambivalence. My discussion gives extra weight to du Maurier, not only because the volume and time-span of her work exceeds that of Brontë (twelve of her seventeen novels are here discussed in depth and the remaining five briefly placed in context) but also because limited academic interest has hitherto been shown in du Maurier's works (with the possible exception of Rebecca), as opposed to the existing wealth of Brontë scholarship. It is my belief that du Maurier's work as a whole is of interest to academic study for its inherent psychological realism, contemporary concern with gender-related topics, and strong sense of literary inheritance; this thesis initiates an exploration of these issues.
- ItemGirls and boys come out to stay : ideological formations in New Zealand-set children's fiction 1862-1917 : a dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engliah at Massey University(Massey University, 2003) Beets, JacquelineThis dissertation examines ideological formations contained in children's fiction set in New Zealand and published between 1862 and 1917, considering forty-five primary texts (mostly novels, but also some short stories and picture-books) in light of their cultural background and relevant literary and postcolonial theory. The first three chapters discuss these works' representation of Maori, focusing upon a number of recurrent tropes and themes applicable to pakeha (European) desire for indigenisation in a colonised land; upon myths justifying dispossession of land from Maori; upon ideologies of Maori physical and moral degeneration (including cannibalism, savagery, alcoholism, and disease); and upon attitudes towards miscegenation. Chapter Four analyses the works as politically conservative middle-class propaganda which presents New Zealand as a means to financial, personal, and familial betterment for the emigrant of middling status. Chapter Five probes the texts' strongly evangelical spiritual and moral messages, which suggest the possibility of a utopian colonial settlement realised through pure young settlers. Chapter Six discusses presentations of gender roles and assumptions in this fiction, demonstrating to what extent it was receptive towards or even instigated fresh ideas for gender modelling in children's literature (for instance the feminised or androgynous boy and the active, assertive girl). Chapter Seven examines ways in which the texts advertise broad ideals of the British Empire, such as patriotism, military might, self-sacrifice or martyrdom, and imperialistic paternalism. Overall, the dissertation reveals early New Zealand-set children's fiction as perpetuating contemporary British ideological values through its intertextual recycling and repetition of familiar tropes and themes, thus making a significant contribution towards the wider corpus of postcolonial literature.